Tripoli: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) announced yesterday the arrest of two Pakistani nationals accused in a boat sinking off the coast of Libya in 2023.
According to Libyan News Agency, the arrests were made following an operation conducted by the Anti-Money Laundering Circle in Faisalabad. The detainees were involved in blackmailing migrants aspiring to travel to Europe with large sums of money through false promises of jobs and then smuggling them to Libya.
The agency reported that the migrants were subjected to detention, torture, and inhumane treatment in secret locations. Investigations revealed that the suspects blackmailed the migrants by making false promises of job opportunities in Europe in exchange for millions of rupees.
The Anti-Money Laundering Circle, through its director, Sarfraz Khan Work, considered the arrests an important step forward in holding the perpetrators accountable and that the law will take its course until justice is served. The FIA imposed travel restrictions on its citizens for the first time after a series of tragedies involving illegal migrant boats. These restrictions targeted citizens aged 35 and over from traveling to eight countries known for irregular migration flows, including Libya.